Sanford Heisler Continues to Draw Socially Conscious Lawyers from “Big Law”

Posted May 21st, 2012.

Three Covington Associates Join Firm’s Ranks

Mueting, Jamison & Alam Bring Recent Big Law Additions to Seven

 For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos,201-493-1027, [email protected]

(May 21, 2012, Washington, DC,) Sanford Heisler, a leading national public interest litigation firm, announced the arrival of two associates from Covington & Burling, LLP, Kate Mueting and Brandon Jamison. They join another former Covington associate, Lubna Alam, who joined the firm in the fall of 2011. This brings the number of socially conscious attorneys the firm has recruited from AmLaw 100 firms in the recent past to seven.

“Kate, Brandon and Lubna exemplify the sort of ‘big law’ attorneys for which our firm is always looking – smart, dedicated lawyers who have found ways throughout their legal career to actively work on public interest causes,” said Sanford Wittels & Heisler (SWH) partner Katherine M. Kimpel. “They had gone above and beyond the typical pro bono experience to invest significantly in making the world a better place. Their commitment convinced us that we could bring them onto the front lines in using the law for social change.”

Kate Mueting has had significant responsibility in her first weeks at SWH.  She is acting as lead counsel on numerous cases and has had the opportunity to take and defend depositions, brief a major post-Dukes dispute, and mediate two individual matters. At Covington, Ms. Mueting participated in that firm’s Pro Bono Rotation, during which she worked full-time at DC’s Children’s Law Center, serving as lead counsel in several trials representing clients seeking to care for neglected children and children at risk of neglect.  A top graduate in her class at the University of Iowa College of Law, Ms. Mueting clerked for The Honorable Michael J. Melloy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and The Honorable Richard J. Leon on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  She also served as a Team Leader for AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps.  She has published on disability law, DC Public Schools, and DC Employment Privacy Law.

Mr. Jamison cited the quality and reputation of the firm, when explaining his move. “The results that the firm achieves speak for themselves, but meeting everyone confirmed that the attorneys and staff are something truly special,” said Mr. Jamison.  “Growing up with parents who worked in public interest law, I always aspired to do this kind of work, but it wasn’t until an opportunity presented itself at SWH that I could make that a reality.”  A 2007 graduate of Columbia Law School, Mr. Jamison also completed the Pro Bono Rotation at Covington, working part-time on landlord tenant disputes through Bread for the City.  He also represented DC jail inmates alleging Eighth and Fifth Amendment rights violations due to crowded and dangerous institutional conditions, and a mother and daughter in their attempt to enforce a compensatory education award against DC public schools.

The third Covington associate, Lubna Alam, joined SWH in August 2011.  “I appreciate the opportunity I have at SWH to focus on civil rights cases, particularly in the employment context,” said Ms. Alam. “The ability to achieve positive results for our clients and make a difference has been a wonderful experience.”  Prior to joining SWH, Ms. Alam also participated in Covington’s Pro Bono Rotation program, working at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program, where she represented low-income DC residents on a variety of matters including landlord tenant disputes, family law, and public benefits cases.  She graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in December 2006.

Other attorneys at the firm recently recruited from the nation’s AmLaw top 100 firms to SWH include Deepika Bains (Boalt ’07), formerly of Davis Polk & Wardwell; Kathy Leong (Georgetown ’04), formerly of Williams & Connolly; Felicia Medina (Yale ’06), formerly of Morrison and Forester; and Siham Nurhussein (NYU ’06), formerly of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

About Sanford Heisler, LLP

Sanford Heisler is a law firm with offices in Washington, DC, New York, and San Francisco that specializes in qui tam, employment discrimination, wage and hour, consumer and complex corporate class action litigation and has represented thousands of individuals in major class action cases in the United States. The firm also represents individual clients in employment, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, public accommodations, commercial, medical malpractice, and personal injury matters. In May 2010, the firm secured the largest jury award in the U.S. in a gender discrimination class action in an employment case when a jury returned a verdict of $253 million in compensatory and punitive damages against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.  For more information, contact Sanford Heisler at 646-791-4848.